The present invention relates to a method of making photographic picture sheets, and to picture sheets made thereby.
Various kinds of personal cards or cards on the market such as identification cards, bank cards, drivers' licenses, pre-paid cards such as telephone cards or oil company cards, or the like are commonly used. Some of these cards are essential to prove the card holder's identity, and accordingly are provided with a picture of the face of the card holder. Others of these cards often are provided with various kinds of pictures, illustrations or the like.
Various ways of providing the card with a picture have been known. In Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 62-50986, a picture is printed on a solid color pre-paid card with a photosensitive emulsion layer. In Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 62-201747, a pre-paid card is made of photographic paper with necessary data, and has a space where a picture is printed.
Otherwise, as is described in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 61-192874, a seal print with a picture is adhered to a solid color card. Seal prints attached to cards, books, notes or the like also are well known. Such seal prints comprise a photographic print applied with an adhesive covered by a separation sheet. After removing the separation sheet, the seal print is easily attached to a card, such as a telephone card, a name card or the like, note books or the like.
One kind of seal print is known, for example, from Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 60-3755, and comprises a supporting sheet such as a paper sheet with a peelable resin layer and a photosensitive emulsion layer coated thereon. To make a seal print, after forming an image on the photosensitive emulsion layer, the supporting sheet is removed and, in place of the supporting sheet, an adhesive material with a separation sheet such as a double-faced adhesive tape is provided.
To form an image on a card, or a seal, that is provided with a photosensitive emulsion layer formed on one surface thereof, photographic processes, such as exposing, developing, fixing and drying, which are time-consuming procedures, are needed. Furthermore, the photosensitive emulsion layer, in which an image has been formed, can become discolored by the sunlight and/or water, or become stained, or get scratches. Also, an image formed on the card or the seal print by a heat-transfer printer generally has insufficient definition.